When I stepped on the campus of Texas Tech University for college orientation, my first thought was, "What have I gotten myself into?" Here I was, an eighteen-year-old from a small town in Oklahoma now deep in the heart of Texas. I graduated from high school with only 42 people and now I was joining 24,000 other students from all over the world at a school that was in an entirely different state! I was slightly overwhelmed, to say the least. I decided to attend college orientation because, like most new freshmen, I had no idea what life at college was really like. I wanted to find out what dorm life was like, how the cafeteria food tasted, what classes I was going to take, and most importantly, what being a Texas Tech Red Raider was all about.
Well, I can honestly say that I got to experience all of these things and more! My trip was very eventful and probably one of the best things I could have done to prepare myself for life away from home. Along with 500 other freshmen, I determined what the next year of my life was going to have in store for me. During orientation, the new freshmen were able to live in the dorms, eat dorm food (which was surprisingly good!), and talk to current students about their experiences at college. We were given tours of the campus and were taught the traditions that make our school special. I especially enjoyed being able to look at a dorm room similar to the one I would be living in. That gave me the chance to plan exactly what furnishings to bring. Also, there were several sessions on becoming involved on campus, and a fair with booths representing many different organizations.
Probably the most important part of my orientation experience was getting to talk to an academic advisor and decide what classes I was going to take. Choosing classes sounds like a fairly easy task until you sit down and take a look at the hundreds of classes your college offers. When I opened the catalogue, it seemed like there were millions of choices! I would have never been able to make the right decisions on my own. I made an appointment to talk to an advisor and have them explain to me exactly what I was doing. I was then able to make a knowledgeable decision about what classes I needed to take.
